Companion vs primary caregiver

The differences between companions and primary caregivers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a primary caregiver has an average salary of $29,576, which is higher than the $29,246 average annual salary of a companion.

The top three skills for a companion include companionship, patients and home health. The most important skills for a primary caregiver are home health, senior care, and PET.

Companion vs primary caregiver overview

	Companion	Primary Caregiver
Yearly salary	$29,246	$29,576
Hourly rate	$14.06	$14.22
Growth rate	36%	36%
Number of jobs	75,753	50,392
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Average age	48	48
Years of experience	-	-

Companion vs primary caregiver salary

Companions and primary caregivers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Companion	Primary Caregiver
Average salary	$29,246	$29,576
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $38,000	Between $22,000 And $38,000
Highest paying City	Boston, MA	-
Highest paying state	Washington	-
Best paying company	Merck	-
Best paying industry	Non Profits	-

Differences between companion and primary caregiver education

There are a few differences between a companion and a primary caregiver in terms of educational background:

	Companion	Primary Caregiver
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 28%	Bachelor's Degree, 48%
Most common major	Nursing	Business
Most common college	-	-

Companion vs primary caregiver demographics

Here are the differences between companions' and primary caregivers' demographics:

	Companion	Primary Caregiver
Average age	48	48
Gender ratio	Male, 12.1% Female, 87.9%	Male, 29.2% Female, 70.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 18.9% Asian, 7.7% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 7.5% White, 58.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between companion and primary caregiver duties and responsibilities

Companion example responsibilities.

Assist residents with use of bedpans, urinals, commode, and bathroom and assist with routine catheter care.
Experience with wind care, colostomy, fluid and electrolyte balance; assist with ambulation, ADL's and medication administration.
Provide companionship to elderly patients which also include feeding and light bathing
Perform first aid, knowledgeable with CPR.
Display empathy, compassion, care, and love.
Used skills as: compassion, listening, problem solving.

Primary caregiver example responsibilities.

Assist patient with ADL's.
Handle all referrals to housing, detoxification, rehabilitation, organization, and agencies.
Verse and familiar with caring for a patient with mild to advance Alzheimer's disease.
Step away from full-time work to serve as caregiver to grandmother diagnose with Alzheimer's disease.
Provide routine personal care and companionship.
Provide transportation within community, supervise and provide companionship for clients during physician appointment, shopping and errands.

Companion vs primary caregiver skills

Common companion skills

Companionship, 20%
Patients, 16%
Home Health, 7%
Provide Emotional Support, 7%
Patient Care, 7%
Meal Prep, 5%

Common primary caregiver skills

Home Health, 44%
Senior Care, 19%
PET, 16%
Autism, 11%
Dementia Care, 4%
Taking Care, 2%